Microsoft announced today at its Windows 10 briefing that it will make the next major version of its operating system free for consumers. Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for for the first year for Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 users. Users who upgrade will continue to have access to the latest versions for free when using the same device. For comparison, Apple has offered updates to each of its software updates, including major operating system versions, for free since 2013 with the release of OS X 10.9 Mavericks for the Mac.

Alongside Windows 8.1, Microsoft released a rather useful app for iOS as well today. Microsoft Remote Desktop allows you to access and control your Windows PC from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. It looks like a rather decent utility, especially for business users, as plenty of similar apps have tried to pull off the same function with less simplicity.

With the Microsoft Remote Desktop app, you can connect to a remote PC and your work resources from almost anywhere. Experience the power of Windows with RemoteFX in a Remote Desktop client designed to help you get your work done wherever you are.